"Reasonable" transfer time between trains

Platforms at Frankfurt train station

I am taking several train trips in August in Germany/Czech Republic: Frankfurt-Berlin, Berlin-Prague, Prague-Munich.

What is a reasonable transfer time when changing trains? I will be using a discounted ticket, so if I miss my train, I cannot get a refund. The DB BAHN website offers some routings with transfer times as low as 4 minutes. Is 4 minutes too little? 10 minutes? 30 minutes? What is reasonable in Canada may not be reasonable in Germany!

Can I assume that platforms 7 and 8 are close together, or not always? Can I assume trains run on time, or should I allow for delays of 10 minutes? or 30 minutes late? or 90 minutes late? Thank you.

Comments for "Reasonable" transfer time between trains

Oh well, I wish I had a definite answer to your question "if trains run on time".
Usually, they do, but a delay of 5 to 10 minute happens quite often. It is not considered a serious delay by train travellers.

When you change from an ICE/IC train to another ICE/IC with a transfer time up to 10 or 15 minutes, you can expect that the connecting train will wait when the first train is a little late. At least that is what I was told at a train station when I looked into a connection with a short transfer time.

Whether or not the connecting train will wait perhaps also depends when the next train to your destination will leave.

When you travel with a discounted ticket that is tied to a special train and you miss the connection, you need to go to a DB service point at the station to get a confirmation of the delay, and then your ticket would be valid on the next ICE train.

When your connecting train is a regional train, you just can go on the next train.

As for the platform information, a Bahnsteig (platform) has usually two rail tracks (Gleis). So Gleis 7 an 8 can be on the same platform or on an adjoining platform, at least fairly close together.

As you can see in the photo, Gleis 14 and 15 are on the same platform, # 13 or # 16 are on a different Bahnsteig. Frankfurt is a Kopfbahnhof (head station), so there is just a short walk to the next platform. At a through station you would go downstairs to a tunnel to reach another platform.